Ayatollah:Talks Cover Up Crimes Against Palestinians

Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians a cover up for Israeli crimes against the Palestinian nation, Iranian news agency Press TV reported on Friday.

"The United States and the West just sit back and watch the suppression of the Palestinian nation, and yet they arrange talks for peace, what peace? Between which people?" Khamenei said addressing crowds at Teheran University, where he led Eid al-Fitr prayers.

Khamanei added that the Palestinians are stronger than they were 20 or 30 years ago and their resistance will eventually pay off and they will dismantle "the phony and fabricated Israeli regime" in the near future.

Last week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad derided the peace talks and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

“Who does Abbas represent?” the Iranian leader asked. “Who gave him the mandate to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinians? What will they talk about – Palestine? Who has the right to surrender parts of Palestine to the enemy?”

Iran's criticism of the peace talks and Abbas for his part in the negotiations coincides with the Islamic Republics close ties with Hamas. Hamas has also denied the legitimacy of the current round of peace negotiations.

On Friday, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said that no one will be obligated to adhere to a potential peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, according to an Israel Radio report.

Speaking in Gaza, Haniyeh added that any agreement to come out of the current peace talks would be illegitimate because the Palestinian Authority has not been authorized by the Palestinian people to negotiate on their behalf.